It didn't take long for members of the Colorado football team to turn their attention to Southern Cal following last week's victory over Cal at Folsom Field.

CU kept its bowl hopes alive by earning its first Pac-12 Conference win of the season but those postseason hopes could be dashed this week if the Buffs aren't able to produce their first Pac-12 winning streak by beating the No. 23 Trojans.

It was suggested to four players in CU's postgame news conference last Saturday that a good dose of bad weather might help the Buffs' cause. The questioner wondered if the Buffs were hoping for a little help from Mother Nature.

Wide receiver Paul Richardson immediately shot down the notion, saying he believes the Buffs need to focus on preparing correctly and they can compete with USC.

Then national weather service forecast calls for a high temperature near 50 degrees Saturday with temperatures likely dropping into the 30s during the game which doesn't kickoff until 7:37 p.m. It will be televised on the Pac-12 Network.

But history shows those cool temperatures might be enough to get the Trojans off their game.

The USC sports information department provided these facts on the Trojans performance in cold weather games. The Trojans are 9-8-1 in cold weather games, which USC defines as being games where the weather was pointed to as having some effect on the game in media accounts. For instance, the Trojans lost last season at Notre Dame in a cold weather game. The temperatures were in the 40s.

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USC has a losing record in games played in the rain over the years (21-23-2) and hasn't played a game in the snow since 1957, when it lost at Notre Dame.

"I hope it's zero degrees when they come out here just to get guys uncomfortable and get guys to play in our element a little bit," senior linebacker Derrick Webb said.

The Buffs have never beaten the Trojans in seven previous meetings. Webb answered unequivocally when asked if the Buffs believe they can beat the Trojans this week regardless of the weather.

"No doubt," Webb said.

But Webb also agreed with Richardson's take that CU will need a great week of preparation for a team that is coming off an upset win over Stanford and still has a chance to win the Pac-12 South Division.

"We're going to have to be physical against USC," Webb said. "They obviously had to be a really physical team to beat a physical Stanford team. Everybody knows what that Stanford team is built on. That's what we've got to do. If we go out there and match their physicality, I feel like it will be a close and tight game."

After CU's Sunday night practice, coach Mike MacIntyre offered a glowing assessment of the Trojans that indicated he believes USC has few if any holes or weaknesses. He raved about the secondary, special teams and the offensive line in particular.

CU offers in-house 2-for-1 deal

Colorado is offering 2-for-1 tickets to faculty and staff for this week's home finale in an effort to get more support for the Buffs in the stadium because students will be leaving campus for fall break.

Notable

Colorado's regular season finale at Utah on Nov. 30 will kickoff at noon (MDT) and will be televised on the Pac-12 Network.

No. 23 USC at CU

When/where: Saturday, 7:37 p.m. at Folsom Field.

TV/Radio: Pac-12 Network/KOA (850 AM)

The Trojans at a glance:

2013 record: 8-3 overall, 5-2 Pac-12

2012 record: 7-6, lost to Georgia Tech in the Sun Bowl

Last week: Defeated Stanford 20-17

Head coach: Ed Orgeron is 5-1 since being named interim head coach Sept. 29 after Lane Kiffin was fired.

Notable: The Trojans have won all seven meetings in the series. ... Four Trojans have rushed for at least 100 yards in a game this season. ... The Trojans rank 10th in the nation in punt returns, second in blocked punts and fifth in blocked kicks. ... The defense ranks 16th nationally in scoring defense and second in red zone defense. ... USC is in the second year of three years of NCAA sanctions that limit its scholarship numbers to 75 total and no more than 15 signees in any of the three classes.